


College

by Compactor



Series: Tumblr Prompts [7]
Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Sweethearts!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 13:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3852730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Compactor/pseuds/Compactor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Right. Do me a favor and just… just leave. I need time to think about what just happened."</p>
            </blockquote>





	College

Jennifer hadn’t seen Duke that day at school. She’d like to say she was worried or surprised, but she wasn’t. It wasn’t an usual thing for Duke to miss classes for no reason, being them one month before finals or not. And truth be told, no one knew more than her how much Duke needed those classes.

Jennifer was worried though. She was worried about his future, about where they’d end up at after high school, but mostly about what Duke would do if he didn’t go to college, because most of the time it was like he didn’t care about anything. Sometimes, she used to think he was one of those people who didn’t think about the future or the consequences of not going to college — he didn’t even take the SAT and if it wasn’t for the school making him, she was sure he wouldn’t even dare to think about taking the PSAT.

Not much time after she was done with English homework, Duke walked through her room’s door. As soon as he saw her, he got that dumb smile on his face — the one kind he always got when they didn’t see each other for the whole day; it was hard to believe he got that bright smile just because of her and god, she loved it. Loved she was the one who put it there on his face, loved being the reason of his smile. Jennifer just wondered for how long that would last.

He sat on the bed and it didn’t take long for her to lay her had on his lap as he ran his fingers through her hair. She didn’t seem mad and that was what was bothering him the most.

After a moment, she looked up at Duke and offered him a warm smile. Grabbing the hand he was using to mess with her hair, she kissed it before talking. “Why didn’t you go today?”

"Free vacations." Which in Duke’s vocabulary meant he was suspended again. The look she gave him was pure confusion, how can someone get suspended three weeks before the end of the school year? That was something impossible on her book. 

"I know — I was caught missing class and Stabler said he was going to call my father because apparently I have an unacceptable behavior.” He looked at her and Jennifer just shrugged. She loved him, he was her boyfriend but his behavior wasn’t all that good; not that she was the one to judge him in the first place.

After a moment, he finally started talking again. “— so I just kept staring at him. Like, seriously? I’ve been going there for three years and I already lost the counts of how many times they called him and they still have audacity of telling me they’re going to call my father? And then I just started to laugh. Really hard.”

"Which he took as a clear sign of disrespect, I assume?" Jennifer said as she squeezed his hand, the warm look still there on her face.

"Yeah." He paused nefore talking again. "It’s just weird y’know? The thought of having him there and actually acting like my father."

She shook her head and kissed his hand again, more to comfort him than anything. “I see. Fow how long?”

"Three days."

Jennifer just shook her head as she made a move to sit on his lap and Duke wrapped his arm around her. They were left in a comfortable silence, but there was something bothering her; he could see that much. She was too quiet and she was easily distracted — which was all very unlike her.

"I got accepted in Boston University. Journalism." She blurted out and the look Duke gave her was something she didn’t expect at all — it was like she was telling him she betrayed him —, because in his mind, both of them would leave Haven together, as a couple.

But of course Jennifer wouldn’t. Because she is a whole different person and unlike him, she wanted something else from life, something better and he hated himself for wanting to take that away from her and dragging her down with him. Because that was all he did, right? Drag her down and push her out of her comfort zone, bringing her worse out of her. 

He hated himself for wanting her to give up on everything just because he wanted her to, especially because he knew how much she had been working to get into a good university and get her life together.

She climbed off his lap and was looking at him, the look on her face was a mix of worry and sadness. “Please, just say something.”

"I’m not really good at this long distance relationship thing, y’know." Duke said and even though his tone was playful, a part of him was being serious. It was like he didn’t even want to try.

"But, I mean, don’t you want to try? Don’t you want to be with me?" Jennifer was trying to hide how desperate she was getting because, well, it wasn’t just done like that. They were together for years and they couldn’t end things just like that, just because she was leaving Haven.

"I do. I do, but that’s just not fair for you."

At this point, Jennifer just didn’t understand what happened. Who is he to tell her what’s right or best for her? It was her life and she didn’t need Duke to tell her what was right or what was wrong. 

"So, that’s it then?" She asked and Duke just shook his head, getting a painful look from her.

"Right. Do me a favor and just… just leave. I need time to think about what just happened."

"Alright." Duke got up from the bed and left the room. They never really talked after that day, not in ten years and they never realized how much they missed each other until she was back at Haven again.


End file.
